


In The Dark

by ice_hot_13



Category: Maximum Ride - James Patterson
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-22
Updated: 2013-06-22
Packaged: 2017-12-15 19:34:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,141
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/853260
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ice_hot_13/pseuds/ice_hot_13
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>At nineteen, Iggy is no longer blind, and can now see things he couldn't before. It isn't coincidental that Fang is avoiding him now.  (Written ages ago, posted for archiving purposes)</p>
            </blockquote>





	In The Dark

 Iggy only felt safe in the dark.

Fang could see that, as Iggy was thrown into the light, Fang could see the abrupt change in him, like suddenly, the entire world was closing in. He looked  _so scared._ Fang would have thought nothing could have been more frightening than being captured by the School again, or when they dragged Iggy back into the operating room.

But the terror for Iggy had come later. When Fang came into the room after the surgery, the others working unlocking all the other cages in the dead of night, Fang went to seek out Iggy, who had been put in another section of the School. Fang saw how Iggy had looked at him.

Seen him.

Absolute terror had flooded Iggy's face, no recognition, none. He'd turned away, hands over his eyes, cringing like he expected to be dragged into surgery again.

"C'mon, Ig-" And all that terror had fled, and Fang had realized.

Iggy only knew him when the world was black.

But they were home now. The only one not grateful for the School's one success was Iggy.

_BAM._

Fang jerked around to look over the back of the couch, saw Iggy stumbling out of the hallway, hissing curses.

"That table was  _not_ there before," Iggy declared, flopping down on the couch, one arm over his eyes.

"How did you not see it?" Fang looked down at him, studying. Iggy had cut his hair a little shorter as soon as they had gotten back home. He'd seen his appearance, the first time in so a long time, and had disliked the length.

"Uh..." Iggy half laid back, and was shifting around, uneasy, "I wasn't looking."

"Liar." The word slipped out before Fang could help it. Iggy kicked him, only somewhat gently.

"Where is everyone?"

"Littles are asleep. Max is upstairs." He turned to sit cross-legged on the couch, watching Iggy. "Why didn't you see the table?"

Fear, not fleeting enough, that the successful surgery was starting to fail.

"Because," Iggy mumbled, "I had my eyes closed." Fang moved to settle between the couch cushions and Iggy, so he could nudge Iggy's arm away, looking down at the stormy blue eyes.

"Why?"

"Because." Iggy wouldn't meet his gaze. "Why've you been avoiding me?" Fang blushed a dark scarlet at that. "What?"

"If I tell you why, will you tell me why?" Fang would never tell otherwise.

He could never help staring at Iggy whenever he was around. And now, Fang was scared because Iggy would be able to see it.

And then he'd know.

"You don't recognize us by sight, do you?" Fang asked softly. "Is that it?" And Iggy nodded slowly.

"I don't even recognize myself." He was fighting tears, and Fang wished he hadn't asked, even though he'd had to.

"And you're scared."

Again, Iggy nodded, and this time, tears welled in the deep blue eyes.

"I thought this would be easier. But now I get lost and this doesn't feel like home anymore and I can't follow you around anymore and it's all so, so different." His words had been picking up speed; he didn't appear to notice Fang's surprise. "It's just a lot to take in at once..."

Fang had never seen Iggy so-  _vulnerable._ It was like the entire world Iggy had finally become accustomed to had disappeared, replaced with one that was all-too much for him.

"It'll take time to adjust." Fang was looking down at him, nestled between Iggy and the couch.

"I know." He sounded almost injured, like Fang just wasn't understanding.

"I know it's gotta be scary." Fang said softly, "you'd been blind from nine 'till now. That's almost ten years." Iggy nodded, but at least the hurt look was gone.

Mostly.

"Did it change me?" Iggy finally ventured. Fang blinked, speechless. "This is the first time you've been around me for more than five minutes in the past two weeks. Or..." Iggy bit his lip, turning those dark blue eyes to Fang, "did you only ever let me tag on because I needed the help?" The hurt look was back. "Everything was easier when I was blind. Is it... because I couldn't see?"

"No, Ig..." Fang drew in a breath, "I avoid you because of what you'd be able to see." He knew Iggy was waiting for an explanation, but Fang just slipped off the couch, starting to leave the room.

"Fang?" Iggy's voice made him turn. "Do me a favor and turn off the light, would you?" Fang gave him a confused look.

"What, you got night vision now?"

"No." Iggy said, as Fang flicked off the lights, leaving the room in darkness. He heard Iggy stand, and a moment later, the other boy slipped past him, footsteps steady. "It's just easier when I can't see."

xxxxxxxxxxxx

Fang was staring at the countertop and Iggy didn't want to wonder why. He didn't know if Fang was upset or sulking or just thinking, and wouldn't know until Fang said something, did something, that Iggy could recognize. But just looking at him, Iggy had no idea.

"What're you making?" Angel bounced into the kitchen, tugging on his arm and trying to see what recipe book he was looking at.

"I dunno yet, hon. Have any suggestions?" He had never known she was blonde, or that her eyes were pale blue. Strange, all that he'd never thought to ask.

"I found a picture, I'll go get it!" She beamed up at him, and then tilted her head to the side. "He's mad about something." She skipped out, as Iggy stared after her.

Sometimes, her mind-reading really stunned him.

"You okay?" Iggy ventured, looking at Fang. He looked so different from the last time Iggy had seen him, nearly ten years ago.

The only thing more shocking than how much Fang had changed was when Iggy had seen his own reflection.

Fang nodded, mumbled something unintelligible.

If he really was angry, then Iggy was truly lost. He debated begging Angel to probe Fang's thoughts further, but realized it would be even more obvious. Asking that would be more than hinting it, it would be like announcing everything he suspected Fang didn't want him to feel. Iggy had always had a hard time shoving away those thoughts; it was even harder now that he could see what Fang looked like.

"I want this." Angel pushed a paper onto the counter before him. "It's  _French!"_

"Crepes? You got it, kiddo." Iggy loved her bright smile, like their own private burst of sunlight. "Why don't you go wake up everyone else?" After she'd skipped off again, he turned to the recipe.

Vanilla. Iggy spent a few minutes opening and closing cabinets, then stopped. He closed his eyes a moment, remembered, not where he'd last seen it, but where he last remembered finding it, and the next cabinet was the right one.

He was nearly finished making Angel's crepes when he glanced towards Fang.

Fang was staring at him.

And he blushed a dark scarlet when he met Iggy's gaze, pushed away from the counter and mumbled something Fang couldn't understand.

"Say what?" Iggy set the plate of crepes down on the counter. Fang was staring at the countertop. "C'mon, Fang" Iggy tried to smile, "Am I gonna have to ask Angel to read your mind for me?"

"Well..." Fang slowly circled around the counter to scan the recipe by Iggy's hand, "it'd be easier." He shrugged a shoulder. "I didn't think it'd be hard to adjust to _you_  being able to see  _me..."_

"If anyone's having a hard time adjusting, I'm gonna guess it's me." Iggy attempted to get Fang to offer even a hint of a smile, but Fang just stared down at the paper, said nothing. "Why is that hard?"

"Just not used to you being able to see me, is all." Fang mumbled, tracing the recipe's words with his finger.

"And why is this so bad?" Iggy tried not to sound snappish. Tried.

"Because," Fang nearly recoiled, "it's like you can see right through me, okay?" He could only meet Iggy's stare for a moment.

"Fang." Iggy's stormy blue eyes were fixed on Fang's face, "I always could."

"Not like this."

Iggy was grateful when Angel bounded back into the kitchen, a sleepy Nudge in tow, Max following after them with Gazzy.

"Well," Iggy tossed one last thing at Fang, "Guess I can now."

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Fang hadn't talked to Iggy in a week, and now that he'd decide he wanted to, Iggy was nowhere. After ten minutes of frustrated searching, Fang slammed the door to the closet closed and realized he'd run out of places to look.

"Max..." Fang leaned around the doorway; Max was helping Angel dust her bookshelves. "Where's Iggy?"

"I have no idea." Max was moving the contents of the shelves to one side so Angel could dust, "Kitchen?"

"I already looked."

"Why are you looking for him?"

"Why?" Fang's guard went up, "what's wrong with me looking for Iggy?"

"Well, for starters, you haven't in a week." To that, Fang had no reply, so he just stalked off and decided to expand his search to outside.

Dusk was drawing in, the sky a faint blue and the stars a distant glow. By the time Fang had thoroughly searched within a half-mile radius, the blue was approaching black, and the stars had gained more confidence, shining more brightly. He was growling with frustration when he heard something from the roof.

 _Figures,_ Fang thought darkly, looking up,  _right above me the entire time._

Iggy was lying on the roof, arms behind his head, eyes closed. He knew Fang was there, of course, Fang didn't doubt that for a moment, doubtlessly, Iggy had heard him breathing. Sometimes, Fang wondered if Iggy could hear his heartbeat, too.

"Pretending you're blind?" Fang wanted the words to shatter before they reached Iggy's ear, but Iggy had probably heard them before Fang had even spoken them.

"I'm getting used to being able to see." Iggy said, something of a flat, taut note to his voice, "Sure do see a lot of stuff I couldn't before."

"Yeah, that's kind of assumed, when you're not blind anymore." Fang shoved his hands deep in his pockets, looking down at Iggy, dark against the night sky, and he knew that Iggy's white wings, had they been in sight, would have been a lovely contrast.

"Not what I meant. And you know it." Iggy said quietly. "Know what's funny?"

"What?"

"I used to imagine what a lot of things looked like, when I couldn't see them. I made up the entire world, and I could change it when I wanted. I can't do that anymore, and you know what? Some things looked better when they were what I imagined." He looked up at Fang finally, dark blue eyes thoughtful, "my sunset was more amazing." He paused for a moment, "but I never could figure out what people looked like. It's strange, being able to see what I knew only by the other senses."

"Disappointed?" Fang couldn't keep the bitter note from his tone, but Iggy shook his head no.

"Why didn't you do something?" This time, Iggy saw the shocked look on Fang's face. "Your voice never told me anything, it's only now that I can see you that I can tell... why did you keep it from me?" Fang sank down next to him, looked out at the darkening sky.

"You know how, for you, you feel safer in the dark? Because it's what you know?" Fang asked quietly, and Iggy nodded, "for me... I felt safer when you were, too. I knew you couldn't ever find out. If you could... I didn't know what you'd do. I didn't want you to hate me, so I didn't ever tell you."

The moon had come out from behind the clouds, stars lost in its brightness, a light as bright as the sun. Fang saw the wonderment on Iggy's face.

"I forgot what the full moon's like," Iggy murmured, moonlight reflected in his blue eyes, "you never told me it's so amazing."

"I never thought you'd want to know what you were missing."

Iggy was silent for a few minutes.

"I know what I've been missing now."

Fang knew Iggy wasn't talking about the moonlight.

"Want to know what you've been missing?" Iggy pushed himself up, looking directly at Fang, who could only nod in silence. Iggy leaned forward, pressed his lips to Fang's.

The kiss was sweet, cool like the moonlight, told Fang everything of what he'd been missing.

"I don't want to be in the dark anymore." Iggy murmured, his taste still on Fang's lips, and Fang didn't have to wonder what Iggy meant.

"You won't be," Fang drew Iggy to him again, "I promise."

 

 


End file.
